4. The political significance of data visualization: Four key perspectives 4. The political significance of data visualization: Four key perspectives

Abstract

Practitioners and scholars alike assume that data visualization can have political signif icance—as vehicle for progressive change, manipulation, or maintaining the status quo. There are, however, a variety of ways in which we can think of data visualization as politically signif icant. These perspectives imply differing notions of both ‘politics’ and ‘signif icance’. Drawing upon political and social theory, this chapter identif ies and outlines four key perspectives: data visualization and 1) public deliberation, 2) ideology, 3) citizenship, and 4) as a political-administrative steering tool. The aim of this chapter is thus to provide a framework that helps clarify the various contexts, processes, and capacities through which data visualizations attain political signif icance.